Children of England

A sequel to THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII, this vivid and compelling book tells the story of Henry's children and those of his sister Mary - popular history at its best.

When Henry VIII dies in 1547 he left three highly intelligent children to succeed him in turn - Edward, Mary and Elisabeth - to be followed, if their lines failed, by the descendents of his sister Mary Tudor, one of whom was the ill-fated Lady Jane Grey, Edward was nine years old, Mary thirty-one and Jane ten. Edward, Elizabeth and Jane were staunch Protestants, Mary a devout Catholic; each had a very different mother and they had grown up in vastly different circumstances. In CHILDREN OF ENGLAND, Alison Weir's interest is not in constitional history but in the characters and relationships of Henry's four Heirs. Making use of a huge variety of contemporary sources, she brings to life one of the most extraordinary periods of English history, when each of Henry's heirs was potentially the tool of powerful political one religious figures, and when the realm was seething with intrigue and turbulent change.

About the Author

Alison Weir is one of Britain’s top-selling historians. She is the author of numerous works of history and historical fiction, specialising in the medieval and Tudor periods. Her bestselling history books include The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Elizabeth of York and, most recently, The Lost Tudor Princess. Her novels include Innocent Traitor, Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen and Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession. She is an Honorary Life Patron of Historic Royal Palaces. She is married with two adult children and lives and works in Surrey.

Also by Alison Weir

Praise for Children of England

“"God deliver us from the Physicians" exclaimed William Cecil after hearing how they treated the dying teenage King Edward VI. Edward was not the only one of Henry VIII's heirs who suffered at the hands of his carers. Mary and Elizabeth, his sisters, and Lady Jane Grey, his cousin, all had such wretched childhoods that Cecil could have said with equal justice "God deliver us from the parents, Step-parents and Lord Protectors"... Weir provides immense satisfaction. She writes in a pacy, vivid style, engaging the heart as well as the mind. This, her fourth book on the tudors, affirms her pre-eminence in the field.”